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The Surge
The Surge was a the largest, most concentrated community event ever held in the history of WW1:Source. It lasted for roughly 2 weeks (Officially), but truly lasted about 3 months. It was a major turning point for many clans, players, and the community as a whole. The Thaw - Spring of 2013 Following the cold winter of 2012, which saw the departure of the 9th Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and the Kingdom of Arkayon, WW1:Source was left only with the 3rd Marines. The community had ground to a halt in the winter of 2012, and coming out of it, only a trickle of players established themselves. However, March saw the rise of two new clans - The Royal Winnipeg Rifles 90th Battalion and the 9th Ranger Regiment. With them, came more players and more interest in the community. Heating Up - Summer of 2013 As summer began, competition was high between clans as the fight began over the handful of players actually coming into the community became all the more tense. Rumors of 2.0's release spread, and a release date was said to be nearing. More clans found an interest in WW1:Source, as units from Resistance and Liberation and Battlegrounds 2 once again began eyeing the growing community. Server population grew, and new servers cropped up. The 3rd Marines Regiment had been left out of this growth. They had seen few changes to their enlistments, and little change in server population. Intent upon not only expanding their enlistments and server population, but also expanding the community and gearing it up for the upcoming 2.0, the 3rd Marines began preparing for something new. The Surge After planning, negotiating, and establishing rules, the 3rd Marines and all associated clans set in motion what would become the Surge. Using the 3rd Marines forums, the WW1:Source development page, and practically any steam group labeled with WW1:Source, the 3rd Marines put out the word about "The Surge", an event which would feature special game modes, new events, prize giveaways, and massive player counts. The 3rd Marines did not disappoint. For the first solid week, player activity was at an all time high. Realisms, Conquests, and other special events had upwards of 35+ players every weekend, and upwards of 20 on weekdays. Prize events brought in new players, classic game modes brought in old players, and a promise of 2.0 Beta Tickets to the top 5 players by playing time kept the community active and engaged. Towards the middle of the first month, the Surge gained another event - The Community Campaign. Intended to extend the life of the Surge and 1.13b, it would feature a battle map which two sides (The Allies and Central Powers) would fight over. Players would sign up and take part in special game modes designed just for the campaign. The even was to be held at the end of the Surge. Changes, Turmoil, and Departures. As the Surge finally slowed down, it became apparent to the 3rd Marines that while the Community had grown, they had not. Partly due to their aged policies, and partly due to the aggressive recruitment policies of other units, they had stayed the same size whilst other units doubled or even tripled. Given the exhaustion of the Marines, and their unwillingness to reshape the unit they'd run for years, A. Switz decided instead to hand it over to three leaders from the community. Many former veterans left the community after this. The 90th Rifles, now a unit well beyond 100 members, branched into RnL, where their numbers only continued to increase. Over time, they would become increasingly more interested in RnL. This would lead to them eventually disbanding their WW1:Source branch entirely. The 3rd Marines would suffer similar disaster, as the leadership would suffer from power fluctuations and uneasy agreements. This would lead to the firing of one leader, and the hiring of another inexperienced replacement. Only a month later, the 3rd Marines would be unceremoniously disbanded, and their server repurposed for the FnF. This was the final note in the Surge. The Campaign would never begin, and the community would slow to a crawl, before dying out once more.